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Review:
“A loving ode to folks who get their hands dirty doing nitty-gritty jobs.
It’s all well and good that visionaries—authors, illustrators, scientists, illustrators, architects, and engineers—plot ideas on paper, easels, blueprints, computers, and blackboards, but thoughts, designs, and plans remain figments until pipe fitters, diggers, solderers, construction workers, carpenters, welders, miners, electricians, plumbers, and countless others get down to business and bring dreams to fruition by actually making what creators envisioned. Skyscrapers and houses don’t rise on their own, and bridges don’t span waterways by themselves. And books don’t get published by magic, either! Who gets those words and pictures—as in this very book kids are reading/hearing—onto pages? Why, typesetters and workers who run the presses and load the paper machines! This is a gorgeous, respectful tribute, expressed in jaunty rhymes that read well, to the dignity and beauty of industry and the pride and pleasure derived from doing one’s best. The word build is repeatedly italicized for emphasis. Crisp, definitively lined illustrations superbly suit the robust theme. They reveal many future-job possibilities to kids and, happily, depict multiple genders and persons of various races plying various blue-collar and professional trades, including a Black woman reading to kids at a library storytime; one character appears in a wheelchair. Tool and vehicle aficionados will feel at home. Marvelous as a read-aloud and as a springboard to maker projects in classrooms and libraries."―Kirkus, *STARRED REVIEW*

“This inviting picture book has a single theme. . . while creative people are
praised for their skills, the things they envision would never be realized without hard-working members of various trades, who turn those dreams into the real-world buildings, bridges, fountains, and amusement parks. . .Wheeler makes her points clearly in rhyming stanzas that read aloud effortlessly. . .Long offers a broad array of beautifully composed, colorful scenes. Children will enjoy finding the details repeated within each of the three stages depicted. Toward the end, the
pictures show the writer and illustrator at work, the books being printed and packed, and finally, children hearing Someone Builds the Dream read aloud. A satisfying conclusion to an original picture book."―Booklist

Someone Builds the Dream

author Lisa Wheeler

illustrator Loren Long



ISBN-10 : 1984814338

ISBN-13 : 978-1984814333

Buildings, bridges, and books don't exist without the workers who are often invisible in the final product, as this joyous and profound picture book reveals from acclaimed author of The Christmas Boot Lisa Wheeler and New York Times bestselling illustrator of Love Loren Long


All across this great big world, jobs are getting done

by many hands in many lands. It takes much more than ONE.


Gorgeously written and illustrated, this is an eye-opening exploration of the many types of work that go into building our world--from the making of a bridge to a wind farm, an amusement park, and even the very picture book that you are reading. An architect may dream up the plans for a house, but someone has to actually work the saws and pound the nails. This book is a thank-you to the skilled women and men who work tirelessly to see our dreams brought to life.

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